The present invention broadly relates to a fuze device and, more specifically, pertains to a new and improved construction of an impact fuze for a projectile with an impact fuze housing which forms the point or tip of the projectile. This impact fuze housing is mounted in the projectile by threaded means and contains all and especially all principal fuze components of the projectile.
It is common practice to use either a heavy steel housing or a light metal housing for such impact fuzes. Steel housings have the advantage that a fuze device can penetrate more deeply into the target before it is destroyed. Light metal housings have the advantage of reducing the weight of the fuze device.
A point-detonating impact fuze of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,042, granted to Dragolyoub Popovitch on Oct. 28, 1980 which comprises two fuze housings, the foremost or forward one of which is formed of a lightweight material, for instance plastic, and the other is formed of steel. This known impact fuze is therefore relatively heavy and does not fulfill the demand for a relatively light fuze.
A so-called switchable fuze can be switched from instantaneous detonation to time-delayed detonation. A fuze pin which is actuated by the impact of the projectile in the target is provided for instantaneous detonation. The instantaneous detonation takes place before the projectile has penetrated deeply into the target. For time-delayed detonation, a device is provided which initiates detonation only after impact of the projectile in the target. Such a time-delay device is disclosed, for instance, in the commonly assigned, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 340,488, filed Jan. 18, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,939, granted on June 26, 1984. The delayed detonation takes place only after the projectile has penetrated relatively deeply into the target. If the projectile is to penetrate into a concrete wall, there is a risk that the time-delay device, which is a principal fuze component, will be destroyed or that the detonation will take place too soon.